The first day of the second week

I debated with myself all the way home about my workout tonight. I had started coughing in earnest before bed last night and it had continued into the day today. While the cough didn't feel like anything serious (just the cold running it's coarse)and my head was feeling better than ever, the constant *hack* *hack* *hack* was wearing me out. It was a perfectly valid reason not to work out. And yet - this little voice in my head kept saying, "is it? Are you just looking for an excuse to sit on the couch?"

Two things in conjunction really helped me to crack down and get 'er done. Team in Training and this Blog. You see, I've discovered I'm a pretty competitive person. Not with other people, but with myself, and seeing how lousy a showing I've made so far in my fitness has made me really want to show VAST improvement, the kind of improvement that shows each and every week. I can't do that if I spend every day arguing with myself about whether a sniffle or a splinter or a 'bad day at work' is a good reason to skip a workout. I want to take full advantage of this next five months. I want to look back on all of this and go... I can't believe just five months ago I could only do 11 laps in 15 minutes. I'm at a really unique point in my fitness career. One that doesn't come along very often, I'm a beginner. This first year of learning a new discipline I can probably make bigger improvements then I can make in all the rest of the years I practice it -- combined! For instance -- a few years back I started running. Like now I could plod along at about a 17 min/mile pace. In about three months (and about 40 pounds) I was zooming along a 12 min/mile pace. When else in your career can you expect to get a 5 minute per mile improvement just like that!? But it took consistent work to get there.

All that to say I did my workout tonight…

Just so you don't think I'm pushing myself blindly I went in fully aware that I might have to cut it short - or lay back a bit. I didn't have to do either. Apparently the moist air was what my lungs needed because I hardly coughed at all once I got there. I did my 1000 meter workout and better yet, finished in 35 minutes! I even dropped my stroke count down 2 strokes to a new low for a few lengths - not consistently but I know the potential is there now - so yay!

and that's all your getting out of me tonight -- I'm bushed! :)